Reviews (1)

Fun and Educational
This book is a great addition to your MythBusters collection( if you don't have a MythBusters collection, you should make one- this show rules!!!) This book combines the fun science and humor of the show with do-at-home experiments. If you are searching for a book that makes learning fun, look no more. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 9-12 - Science    2. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Science    3. Children: Grades 4-6    4. Experiments    5. Juvenile Nonfiction    6. Juvenile literature    7. Science    8. Science & Technology - How Things Work    9. Technology - How Things Work/Are Made    10. Controversial Knowledge & Mysteries    11. Juvenile Nonfiction / Science & Technology / How Things Work   

Reviews (2)

Mythbusters a bust
I did not realize that this book was based on a television show because I do not watch television. I thought it was about debunking urban legends such as alligators in New York sewers and such; I was not expecting a lot of scientific proofs of how balloons fly and so on. I definitely wasted my money on this one.

BEST SHOW ON TELEVISION
This show is in its 4th Season, and Adam and Jamie STILL haven't run out of urban legends to put the scientific test to. Fascinating and fun science. Nice to have 30 of the best myths in book form, but the real way to enjoy "Mythbusters" is to watch the show -- every week on Discovery -- and to buy the DVD collections.And if you love Mythbusters, be sure to pick up all of the books by Jan Harold Brunvand ("The Baby Train", "The Choking Doberman", "Curses! Broiled Again!", "The Urban Legend Encyclopedia", and many more titles). Also, check out the new book "Turn Me On, Dead Man" by Andru J. Reeve. It explores, in depth, the entire story behind the Paul McCartney Death Hoax of 1969. Like the Mythbusters, Reeve gets to the truth behind the myth.Buy all of these books and DVDs right here at Amazon.com and watch "Mythbusters" every Wednesday on Discovery. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Curiosities & Wonders    2. Folklore & Mythology - Folklore    3. General    4. Movie / TV Tie-Ins    5. Movie-TV Tie-In - General    6. Mythbusters (Television program)    7. Performing Arts    8. Performing Arts/Dance    9. Science    10. Television - Guides & Reviews    11. Television Plays And Programs    12. Urban folklore    13. Wonders And Curiosities    14. Customs & folklore    15. Performing Arts / Television / Guides & Reviews    16. Reference works    17. Unexplained phenomena   

Reviews (6)

Very fun reading
My son loved this book and shared the stories with his friends.

Don't let anyone convince you..

Packed with fun - and social legends
Urban legends are unbelievable 'city stories' which abound, from the amazing kidney thief who will leave his victims in a tub of ice to the alligator in the toilet or the ghost children of San Antonio who, killed on train tracks, saves anyone whose car would stall nearby. From the 'real' men in black who thwart alien reports to the rude cookie-eater, URBAN Legends: 666 Absolutely True Stories That Happened To A Friend Of A Friend Of A Friend is packed with fun - and social legends.
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Subjects:  1. Folklore & Mythology    2. Folklore & Mythology - Folklore    3. General    4. Humor    5. Legends    6. Sociology    7. United States    8. Urban folklore    9. Customs & folklore    10. Folklore    11. Humor / General    12. Humour    13. Myths & mythology    14. SOCIAL SCIENCE / Folklore & Mythology    15. Trivia & quiz question books   

Reviews (2)

A great read for Halloween or anytime
I remember hearing the "Aren't you glad you didn't turn on the lights" story while attending a Midwestern university and it was sufficiently believeable to spook me for a long time until I read that it was an urban legend. Professor Brunvand's book details various legends from those that will send chills up your spine to others that will just tickle your funny bone. A highly recommended read for all!

3 thumbs up
this book is very cool. fun to read so you won't get bored. and you find out where some of the urban legends originated too, which will make you an interesting conversationalist at any party. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Anthropology - Cultural    2. Fairy Tales, Folklore & Mythology    3. Folklore & Mythology    4. Folklore & Mythology - Folklore    5. Legends    6. Social Science    7. Sociology    8. United States    9. Urban folklore    10. Folklore   

Reviews (4)

The urban legends you already know and many more new ones
It is ironic that Jan Harold Brunvand put together his "Encyclopedia of Urban Legends" because it was the ultimate reference work on the subject consulted in the 1998 film "Urban Legend," although there was no such book.So this is the real-life counterpart to the fictional Hollywood volume and if you do not recognize dozens of the examples that are arranged alphabetically from A ("The Accidental Cannibals") to Z ("The Zoo Section"), then you simply have not been swapping tale but supposedly true tales with your best buds.
Very Insightful & Informative
I decided to pick up this book because I have always had a mild interest in urban legends.This book is well organized from A-Z.It contains several hundred urban legends within the pages.I was quite surprised about how several different urban legends blend together. A good reference
If you're interested in urban legends from a folklore standpoint, a research standpoint, or just a fan then you will appreciate this book.It is the most complete reference I have seen.Details of stories, their comparison with other stories, common stories from other parts of the world, and clear explanations.Brunvand has a knack for making it all understandable and avoids being dry and lecturing.For the stories themselves you would want to see his many other collections; for research and reference you can not do without this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Anthropology - General    2. Encyclopedias    3. Folklore & Mythology    4. Folklore & Mythology - Folklore    5. Legends    6. Popular Culture - General    7. Social Science    8. Sociology    9. United States    10. Urban folklore   

Editorial Review

Have you heard the one about the new computer owner who mistook the CD-ROM player for a cup holder? Or the woman who thought her brains were oozing out of a gunshot wound, when the "truth" was that when her Pillsbury Poppin' Fresh can exploded, striking her on the head with the lid, the goo she felt was biscuit dough? Jan Harold Brunvand, professor emeritus at the University of Utah and author of numerous urban-legend collections, includingRead more

Reviews (24)

Portable Snopes rehashes same old stories.
Brunvand has been profiting from everyone's love of urban legends for far too long.His books are a waste of trees since he insists on reprinting the same tired stories over and over.This volume is no exception; its only virtue is that it can be read in the bathroom or while lying in bed.
Fun and interesting read
Mr. Brunvand's book is a delight to read simply as a collection of Urban Legends - the stories play on our love of fun, irony, mischief, coincidence or even morbid twists of fate.But anyone could compile a bunch of urban legends.The real meat of the book is in Mr. Brunvand's analysis of each legend, or group of legends.It is pretty amazing to see him trace the origins of each legend and pick apart the contents.Several of the legends actually have their root in real events, but most are pure fancy.Why do I give it only a four star rating?I save the fifth for truly outstanding books.This one is fun, but not a must-read. Colossal Book of Urban Legends
For those who don't know, Jan Harold Brunvand has a column out in Salt Lake City, but has acquired a following all across the country, or rather the world.He is the leading scholar on the subject of urban legends, those sometimes funny and often terrifying stories you first heard on the playground or by the watercooler, which are always supposed to be true but can't be proved because they happened to a friend of a friend of a friend . . . This book, the "Colossal Book of Urban Legends" is really an updated combination of most of Brunvand's previous books, such as "The Vanishing Hitchhiker", "The Choking Doberman" and "The Baby Train".In other words, if you are going to buy this book, I doubt think you'll want to buy all the previous ones, though there might be a few stories in those not included here. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Folklore & Mythology    2. Legends    3. Popular Culture - General    4. Social Science    5. Sociology    6. United States    7. Urban folklore    8. Folklore   

Reviews (21)

a good, light read
It is hard to review a book like this...or is it easy?The book is a collection of modern urban legends and the truth (or untruth) behind them.I guess you could criticize his selection of legends to cover, but that is more a personal choice.The truth is, Roeper does a solid job of reviewing the legend in question and then delving into the story behind it.
Perfect for teens
"Urban Legends" by Richard Roeper is a light read perfect for a teen audience.This book touches on most of the common urban legends, the welcome to the world of AIDS urban legend, whether Tupac is really dead, Tommy Hilfiger on Oprah and other urban legends that have been rehashed over time.The book dispells what is truth and what is fiction. Overall though this book doesn't really tell readers what can't be found on the Internet or in other books.It's an entertaining book.

History Is Myth....Or....?
In this book there are many of those Urban Legends that we've heard of that have been circulating since we can remember.And, there are also many tales that we haven't heard of.Today we get most of these myths via email, but before email came to be, I remember hearing...."this happened....I heard that....so-and-so said....did you know that....?"And beyond the humor, are the effects these tall-tales can have on the people and places they're about.Many of these "alleged" rumors were followed up in the form of questions from journalists during media interviews.Often, the media will investigate a rumor (urban myth) to see if there is any merit to it.Once debunked as false however, the rumor lives on in peoples' minds.Read more

Subjects:  1. Folklore    2. Folklore & Mythology    3. General    4. Reference    5. Social life and customs    6. Trivia    7. United States    8. Urban folklore    9. Collections & anthologies of various literary forms    10. Mind, Body, Spirit   

Subjects:  1. African Americans    2. Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - General    3. Folklore    4. Folklore & Mythology - Folklore    5. General    6. Social Science    7. Sociology    8. United States    9. Urban folklore    10. American English    11. Black studies    12. Literary & Linguistic Reference Works    13. Poetry anthologies: from c 1900 -    14. Popular culture    15. USA   

Reviews (3)

Very fun collection of legends
I've always been one of those people who love to hear a good, ironic story - my alltime favourite being the babysitter who gets the crank calls - and was pleased to find this enjoyable series of books. This was my first one, and I really enjoyed it. Terrible!!!
With the author not knowing anything about the history of these urbanlegends, he creates a fantasy world of lusty "facts" that has nohistorical context whatsoever.This is a terrible example of someone whohas too much time on their hands.

Superb!
Professor Brunvand provides an informative and entertaining account of urban legends (or urban myths).Professor Brunvand is so revered that he was recently referred to in an episode of "Millenium" which dealt with urban myths.Read more

Subjects:  1. Folklore    2. Folklore & Mythology    3. Journalists (Collected Columns)    4. Legends    5. Sociology    6. United States    7. Urban folklore    8. Humour   

Reviews (20)

The Baby Got Thrown with the Bath Water!
This is a compendium of alleged Urban Legends. Included are some familiar old legends (the RV guy and the sandwich, the ubiquitous Neiman-Marcus cookie hoax) some new Legends (the experimental car) and some you'll swear are not Legends at all, but True Stories that Really Did happen to Great Uncle Fred's cousin's sister-in-law's hairdresser's nephew's girlfriend's father's fishin' buddy (Cadillac Rattle, Navy Pilot v. Lighthouse.) Urban legends at the unbelievable best!
This book has an amazing 223 urban legends and every one of them is a gem. While some of the stories are recognizable urban legends, such as `the hook' `spunk ball' and `baby on the car roof', others are lesser known. All of them are fun, and most are a page or less. Urban Legends are most often sourceless
A decent book, with more breadth than depth -- perfectly acceptable for the format.Designed to be a retelling of the legends, rather than a true documentation of their existence in society, the stories told get tedious after a while, like a too-long list of elephant jokes.The text is, as one reviewer already suggested, best treated as a compendium of short tidbits and humorous stories for bathroom reading and other "short form" experiences.Read more

Subjects:  1. Fairy Tales, Folklore & Mythology    2. Folklore & Mythology - Folklore    3. General    4. Humor    5. Legends    6. United States    7. Urban folklore    8. Humor / General    9. Humour collections & anthologies    10. Myth & legend told as fiction   

Reviews (7)

Classic Urban Legend Tales
Spiders in the Hairdo is a collection of well known and in most cases frequently told myths, camp fire stories and I heard from a friend of a friend or a friend rumours.The majority you will have heard before but this is a good compact sized collection of some of the best tales.You've got the knife wheeling maniac in the back seat (as told by Auto on the Simpsons) who in this book is a rope strangler.The unwashed hair full of poisonous spiders, the hook on the lovers' car door, scuba diver in the tree after a forest fire and all the world's favourites.They are quite good versions in this book and this collection is just as good as similar books such as The Big Book of Urban Myths or the Darwin Awards Trilogy.
Easy to Read Source for Urban Legends
All those fun stories that you grew up with as a kid are here in this book. The next time you complain about all these new legends on the Internet, remember we all told the one about the bloody hook attached to the car door. And you know that story about the roach eggs in the taco meat made your skin crawl, no pun intended. This book is too much fun and a good source for nostalgic reflection or for retelling to all those people who you just want to scare a little! ...

Told With a Twist of Lemon!
This book does not explore anything new in terms of presenting new Urban Legends. But, it does dramatize well known legends giving them a new flare. Very good book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - Horror    2. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    3. Fairy Tales & Folklore - General    4. Folklore    5. Horror & Ghost Stories    6. Juvenile Fiction    7. Legends    8. Legends, Myths, & Fables - Other    9. Social life and customs    10. Sociology    11. Sociology - Urban    12. United States    13. Urban Sociology    14. Urban folklore    15. Juvenile Fiction / General    16. Urban Legends    17. Storytelling    18. Oral Tradition    19. Popular culture   

Reviews (6)

one of the best
jan harold is the best writer of the urban legend books. they have ben alot of immanters but his are the best. this one was second in the serires. the tile urban legend is well researched.

Well-Written and Enjoyable
I bought this book because the title was too strange to pass up.I found it to be thought-provoking and very well written.Although it's not a scary-story book, and the author proved all the legends weren't true, Ididn't get any sleep the night after I read it!If you like spooky books,I highly reccomend "The Choking Doberman."

An eye-opening and enjoyable read
The Choking Doberman, the second in a series of books examining urban legend and folklore, is a rare find not only for its attention to the friend-of-a-friend stories that we've all heard, but also for its perhaps unintended window into the evolution of modern legends.Written in 1986, the myths and legends regarding computers and other modern inventions reviewed in the book, as well as the means by which such stories were disseminated, reflect the growing influence of information technology -- old legends about "cable lice" proliferating in phone or power cables have given way to doomsday viruses and other computer-age legends.I also was amused to discover so many legends being integrated into movies and television, such as the "baby on the car roof" (Raising Arizona), the woman who punishes her philandering husband with superglue (Reservoir Dogs), etc.Just goes to show that a good story always deserves a retelling. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Folklore & Mythology - Folklore    3. History and criticism    4. Legends    5. Mystery & Detective - General    6. Mystery/Suspense    7. Popular Culture - General    8. Sociology    9. Sociology - Urban    10. United States    11. Urban folklore    12. Modern fiction   

Subjects:  1. Children's Books - Young Adult Fiction    2. Children: Grades 4-6    3. General    4. Juvenile Fiction    5. Legends, Myths, & Fables - General    6. Urban folklore    7. Juvenile Fiction / General   

Reviews (11)

GREAT BOOK; IT'S ABOUT TIME!
As a Pagan Wiccan living in darkest christian America, this book is an excellent source for debunking the "true stories" of ritual abuse, poison and razor blades in Halloween candy and other urban legends, preached as gospel truth in our faces by the Jack Chick Fundies and other wastes of protoplasm. We have to deal with such nonsense being promulgated as veriest truth by such creatures all the time. Having such a clever, entertaining book to provide debunking material is a definite asset.

a fun book to read
Everyone has heard at least one of the legends presented in this book.While I hadn't heard of many of them, there were a couple that were familiar to me.The legend that was the most familiar to me was the one that states that if you are in college and your roommate commits suicide you will get an automatic 4.0 Grade Point Average for the year.There were others that I heard as jokes, and some that were presented as real. Another excellent urban legend collection
This is one of those books that are just plain fun to read. Almost everyone who picks up this book will be familiar with one or two of the tales presented, if not more. That was the greatest joy of reading this and Jan's other books.Read more

Subjects:  1. Folklore & Mythology - Folklore    2. Legends    3. Social life and customs    4. Sociology    5. United States    6. Urban folklore    7. Folklore    8. Humour    9. USA   

Subjects:  1. Children's 9-12 - Fiction - Mysteries / Detective    2. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    3. Children: Grades 3-4    4. Fiction    5. Haunted places    6. Juvenile Fiction    7. Magicians    8. Movie Tie - In    9. Mysteries, Espionage, & Detective Stories    10. Readers - Chapter Books    11. Robbers and outlaws    12. Urban folklore    13. Juvenile Fiction / Movie or Television Tie-In   

Reviews (1)

Informative and useful in a very practical way
This book is a collaboration between two sisters, one of whom is a biologist and health educator, and the other of whom is a folklorist. Together they examine a vast number of urban legends and beliefs about sexuality, particularly in reference to teens and college students, and discuss how these stories can be used in an educational setting, both to glean information about things that need to be taught and to impart accurate information. As they point out, educators and health professionals sometimes make assumptions that are not shared by the young or uneducated people they deal with, and talking about popular beliefs and the stories that young people share among themselves can help clear up misunderstandings that otherwise might never have even been addressed. Discussion of stereotypes promoted by certain urban legends can also enable students to become better informed about stigmatized groups and behavior.
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Subjects:  1. Folklore    2. Folklore & Mythology    3. Folklore & Mythology - Folklore    4. Literature: Folklore/Mythology    5. Sex    6. Sex Roles (Sociological Aspects)    7. Social Science    8. Sociology    9. United States    10. Urban folklore   

Reviews (6)

Who Knew?
Who knew that the sheer number of urban legends could spawn yet another book? Brunvand is the legend specialist and his research is excellent as he relates the legends and then reveals their origins. It is amazing to read his books and realize how many people actually swear these stories are completely true zand happened to a friend of a friend's hairdresser. This outing revisits some old favorites and also brings to light a few new ones. It is a fitting addition to the Brunvand collection (which are some of the best gift books to give and receive).

Cult Book
Brunvand has made himself a cult figure with his attacks on urban legends.Unfortunately, he has spawned a cult of know-it-alls who see the debunking of urban legends as the only end of folklore studies.Brunvand misses thepoint:people often do not believe urban legends anyways, but enjoy theclever twists of fiction.Debunking is not enough to appreciate the taleshe relates.

Mr. Urban Legend once again delves into modern myth.
This is another fine example of logic and reason applied to the popular "friend of a friend" stories of our time.Brunvand puts a great deal of effort into finding variations of urban legends spread out acrossthe United States and the world, reaching back many years to a usuallyunfindable source.If you believe in critical thinking, then this is agood book for you. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Folklore    2. Folklore & Mythology - Folklore    3. History and criticism    4. Legends    5. Sociology    6. United States    7. Urban folklore    8. Myth & legend told as fiction   

Reviews (6)

Rather Boring
I had been wanting to brush up on some urban legends, so i purchased this book (used, thankfully). I normally enjoy the Idiot Guides, but this one not so much. I read it in about 2 hours time.
Urban Freud
It seemed to me that this author found a way to link all of the mentioned urban legends to sex in some way.I found his statements for his reasoning to be confusing at best and downright silly at most times.As a continuing scholar of urban myths and legends, I think this book serves only to insult the intelligence of the average reader who does not know much about urban legends.The only reason the boook got three stars is the urban legends speak for themselves as classic tales everyone knows happened to someone they knew.

Repetative stories
The book started out well and interesting, promising to debunk all the misconceptions made with urban legends. Something happened though. Somewhere along the line it stopped being interesting. Read more

Subjects:  1. Folklore    2. Folklore & Mythology    3. Folklore & Mythology - Folklore    4. General    5. History and criticism    6. Legends    7. Literature: Folklore/Mythology    8. Pop Arts / Pop Culture    9. Popular Culture - General    10. Social Science    11. Sociology - Urban    12. United States    13. Urban folklore    14. Social Science / Folklore & Mythology   

Reviews (3)

223 Urban Legends
This is my first Urban Legend book and now I'm hooked on them. The first one I read was 500 Best Urban Legends and it was great. This book however was much better. From Skinned Tom to the Haunted Shower this was a great book. Most of this book was political but still a good book. If you like Urban Legends this is a must have.

Great UL series takes hard-right turn
I have read the first two books in this series, and was very pleased with them. However, this last one has lots and lots of Democrat- and liberal-bashing. Conspicuously, many of the urban legends/myths about the right wing taking over the world, etc. were absent, even though many of them are extremely entertaining, and would have provided a good contrast with the other political ULs in this book.

Astounding
Thomas Craughwell is the brilliant maestro conducting his symphony of tales of a friend's friend.Mr Craughwell has outdone himself with another installment in the increasingly popular series of books on urban legends.He has the passion and heart that many authors of today lack.He plungs into the deep caverns of the darkness of the human psycke with the tales "Back From The Dead" and "Royal African Millionaires Neep Your Help!"His other works provided meaningful and thought comments on socio-economic problems as well as his own quaint philosophies."Saints For Every Occasion," the "50 States Fandex," and the "Book Lover's Page-a-Day Calender" all give the reader an incredible insight into the mind that is Thomas J Craughwell. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Folklore    2. Folklore & Mythology    3. Folklore & Mythology - Folklore    4. General    5. Humor    6. Legends    7. United States    8. Urban folklore    9. Humor / General    10. Literature: Texts    11. Myths & mythology    12. Short stories   

Subjects:  1. Folklore    2. Folklore & Mythology - Folklore    3. General    4. Humor    5. Office practice    6. Sociology    7. United States    8. Urban folklore    9. Xerography